Energy Accounting is the hypothetical system of distribution, proposed by the
Technocracy movement, which would record the
energy used to produce and distribute goods and services consumed by citizens in a
Technocracy, or
Technate as the movement calls it. The units of this accounting system would be known as
Energy Credits,
Energy Certificates, or simply
Energy Units. Energy accounting would replace
money in a Technate, but unlike traditional
currencies, energy units could not be saved or earned, only distributed evenly among a populace. Energy credits would probably not have to be physically handled by the citizens themselves, as the system would likely be computerised. In this proposal, the Technate would use information of all available
natural resources, industrial capacity and citizen’s purchasing habits to determine how much of any good or service was being consumed by the populace, so that it could match
production with
consumption. It is this balance between production and consumption that is represented by the Technocrats' chosen symbol, the
Monad. The amount of energy each citizen would have would be equal to what they spend, thus they never have to worry about running out or budgeting, the only constraining factor being the Technate’s resource base and technological level. The reason for the use of energy accounting, according to Technocrats, is that it would ensure the highest possible standard of living, as well as
equality, among the Technate’s citizenry.